Barbecues comprise at least one hot surface upon which food may be disposed so that it may be cooked. The prior art contains known barbecues that comprise a main inlet through which fuel may be introduced in order to heat the hot surface and thus cook the food disposed on it. The fuel used is mainly natural gas or propane gas. A burner is disposed beneath the hot surface and the fuel reaches it through a through-pipe that connects said burner to the main inlet, and the fuel is ignited in said burner (in the form of a flame) and causes the heating of the hot surface and, therefore, the heating of the food disposed on said hot surface.
In some barbecues, once the fuel has reached the burner a user has to act directly on said burner to ensure the fuel lights, by means of a lighter, for example, or a similar device.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,813,394 discloses a barbecue in which the flame of the burner is ignited automatically, without the need for a user to act on the burner directly by means of a lighter or a similar device. For this reason, said barbecue comprises electronic control means that act on an igniter that causes the fuel to ignite.